Subhojeet Mukherjee on February 11, 2024
Last September, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Oprah Winfrey initiated “The People’s Fund of Maui” to aid Lahaina residents affected by wildfires. Their joint contribution of $10 million kickstarted the effort, with The Rock subsequently encouraging others, including working-class individuals, to contribute. However, his call for donations drew significant backlash, leaving him perplexed by the response.
At the WrestleMania 40 kickoff press conference, The Rock took on a villainous persona as he engaged in a confrontation with Cody Rhodes, even delivering a slap. While many interpreted this as a heel turn, one individual attributed the audience’s reaction to The Rock’s involvement in the Maui wildfires fund controversy.
The Rock took to Twitter to address this assertion, denying any connection between the two incidents. He clarified that his actions at the press conference were part of his wrestling persona, emphasizing that playing the role of a “heel” is a standard practice in the WWE universe. Additionally, he provided an update on the success of “The People’s Fund of Maui,” highlighting its substantial contributions to wildfire survivors.
Expressing his deep connection to Hawaii and its people, The Rock underscored the ongoing struggles faced by residents and stressed the resilience of the Polynesian American community. He urged the individual making the claim to redirect their energy towards positive actions and support for Hawaii, inviting them to join him in uplifting efforts.
”I typically refrain from responding to toxic, false clickbait garbage like this because I hate dignifying b****** with a response, but when you use Hawaii’s tragic events to draw attention to yourself I won’t stay quiet.”
”This moment you’re referring to is from our @WWE press conference this past Thursday where I turned “heel” – wrestling parlance for bad guy. I’m playing it up with our crowd as they boo. It’s what we do in our WWE universe, and we all love every second of it.”
”For the record:
Our People’s Fund of Maui has already DELIVERED over $50 MILLION DOLLARS to over 8,000 survivors who were affected by the fires, and I’m grateful to the bone that we’ve been the primary funders.””Hawaii is where I grew up, where I raise my children throughout the year and where my ancestors are buried. These are my Polynesian people and these are OUR American people. You can’t imagine how much they are still struggling daily to put their lives back together and take care of each other. Our Poly American people are as resilient as people come, and they will raise and get back on their feet.”
‘‘Nick, instead of posting b****** like this that you know is false – I encourage you to post something positive for Hawaii, for our Polynesian American people. Or actually take positive action and come to Hawaii to help out in an uplifting way.
I’m in Hawaii now, and I guarantee you, you’ll get great content that can actually make a difference in people’s lives.
Genuinely.’”Let’s put our energy and our online platforms into lifting people up. Acknowledging the good things that people do. Raising awareness for the suffering in ways that can effectively help. It takes so much effort to be negative, and create and spread b****** – but when you spread positivity, kindness, and lead by example you can really impact lives.”
”I’m sorry to all our Poly/Hawaiian ohana of Maui, for shining light on this toxicity as you struggle through tough times – I always try to be Na’au Pono.
Love U.””Aloha,
DJ”
Regarding opinions that Roman Reigns played a subordinate role at the press conference, further discussion awaits The Rock’s return to Friday Night SmackDown, where his perspective may shed more light on the matter.
What do you think of this response made by The Rock? Do you feel he was justified in what he had to say? Let us know in the comments section below!
February 11, 2024 6:08 am
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